My Prince said he'd break my legs.

They were "invited" into the East Garden. There were only a few guards at the main gate, and no servants were seen inside the courtyard. Even Pei Yue's personal guard, Yu Zhao, was not there.

Liang Zhiyi curled her lip. Don't be fooled by the fact that there aren't many people serving him on the surface. Who knows how many secret guards are hiding somewhere protecting this dog prince's safety.

Upon entering the room, one immediately saw Pei Yue propping his head up with his right hand, lounging lazily on the low couch, seemingly dozing.

Incense burned in the room, and the smoke curled out of the incense burner, creating a very pleasant atmosphere. Anyone who didn't know better would think this was his bedroom.

This was the first time she had seen Pei Yue with his eyes closed. With his starry eyes closed, he seemed to lose a bit of his gentleness, and his handsome face revealed an indifferent and aloof demeanor.

If this were modern times, she would definitely pounce on such a handsome man if she saw him.

What a pity, tsk tsk!

How can someone be so lucky? Not only is she good-looking, but she also comes from a privileged background and is intelligent. God is so unfair.

"Have you seen enough?"

Pei Yue's sudden voice startled Liang Zhiyi. She thought to herself, "Does this guy have his eyes on his head?"

He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness."

Pei Yue lazily opened his eyes and glanced at her: "Hmm, you've improved. Get up."

He was referring to her bowing posture. When she first arrived, her bowing was simply unseemly. But this damned prince forced her to learn court etiquette.

"Did you finish yesterday's homework?"

Upon hearing this, Liang Zhiyi wanted to give him a good scolding. "Are you a teacher? Then why are you arranging lessons for her?"

She silently cursed his ancestors for eighteen generations in her heart, then looked up and answered with a standard smile.

"Your Highness, it's done."

Pei Yue loved seeing her pretend to be gentle and obedient even though she was clearly furious.

He couldn't help but chuckle, and got up to walk in front of her.

"Good."

Liang Zhiyi secretly rolled her eyes and took two steps back.

"If Your Highness has nothing else, I... I shall take my leave now. I still need to copy the Precepts for Women."

Pei Yue feigned indifference: "Did you get punished by the teacher again?"

Liang Zhiyi couldn't control herself for a moment and said irritably, "Whether he's been punished or not, doesn't His Highness know very well?"

At first, she was confused and that was fine, but every time this damned crown prince summoned her, she would be punished by Dongfang Yizhi. After a while, she knew with her own eyes that Dongfang Yizhi was Pei Yue's man.

Liang Zhiyi was furious. This was getting more and more outrageous. Making her copy the "Precepts for Women" twenty times would kill her.

She decided to go back and ask her stupid father to expel her from school. This time, she would never accept the punishment and would run away as soon as school was over.

Pei Yue raised an eyebrow: "You've got quite a temper."

Liang Zhiyi pursed her lips and didn't respond. If this were in modern times, she would have turned around and left in a heartbeat. How could she let him control her for so long?

Seeing that Liang Zhiyi remained silent, Pei Yue wasn't angry. He sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and asked,

"Do you know what the precepts for women are about?"

Liang Zhiyi knew this, of course; she was just not used to this era, not stupid.

"Admonitions for Women" is a book that brainwashes women in feudal society. Its central idea is the lowly status of women in the family and their absolute obedience to men.

To hell with the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, and the idea that a wife should follow her husband's lead.

Although she cursed him in her heart, she dared not say it aloud. After a moment, she chuckled awkwardly and began to make up a story.

"Your Highness, I know. I will certainly follow the precepts for women and be obedient to my future husband in every way. If he says to go east, I will never go west. If he wants to take concubines, I will definitely take ten or eight for him so that he can sleep with beautiful women in his arms every night."

Pei Yue was amused by her remarks; it was the first time he had ever seen a young woman speak so unrestrainedly.

He put down his teacup and asked, "How do you know you're not that concubine?"

Liang Zhiyi paused for a moment. She really hadn't thought about it. In her mind, she was going to get married, the kind of marriage where she was formally married with a phoenix coronet and embroidered robes.

Ideally, she would find someone she likes, someone who doesn't take concubines and only has her.

"This is my private matter, so Your Highness need not trouble yourself."

Pei Yue chuckled, stood up, slowly raised his hand to lift her chin, and said leisurely, "How can that be? After all, I will be your husband in the future."

As soon as he finished speaking, Liang Zhiyi's eyes widened. This was the first time Pei Yue had spoken to her so bluntly.

She had always thought Pei Yue was just being petty and deliberately picking on her, but she never expected that this scoundrel had such intentions.

If the object of her affections is him, then she can indeed only be a concubine, and given her family background, she can only be a concubine of low rank.

Liang Zhiyi reflexively slapped his hand away and took several steps back.

She looked up and met Pei Yue's sinister eyes, only then realizing what she had done. She had actually hit the Crown Prince of the court. Wasn't she courting death?

In her panic, she knelt down: "Your Highness, please forgive me, I didn't mean to."

She thought Pei Yue would fly into a rage and have her dragged out and beaten, since he was the crown prince and beating him would be an act of insubordination, an unforgivable crime.

Unexpectedly, Pei Yue simply told her to get up: "You should learn the rules properly so that no one will find fault with you after you enter the Eastern Palace."

Liang Zhiyi really wanted to thank his whole family. So, all these past few months he had been training her to be a proper concubine for him?

She lowered her eyelashes, looking anxious: "Your Highness, this humble woman... this humble woman..."

Before she could even utter a word of refusal, Pei Yue seemed to see right through her, giving her a forced, insincere smile.

"Think carefully before you speak. Make sure you understand what you should and shouldn't say."

That's a blatant threat!

Liang Zhiyi was a little confused. Did this damned crown prince even remember which side her father belonged to? Was she even qualified to enter the Eastern Palace?

If she were to enter the Eastern Palace, given her father's position, no matter who takes that position, her life would be difficult.

Besides, she didn't want to be a concubine!

That thing, to put it bluntly, is practically a half-servant. If she were to enter his harem, and he grew tired of her and fell out of favor, wouldn't she be in for a lot of trouble?

No, no, she didn't come here to suffer.

Her mother was the daughter of a wealthy merchant, and she had already planned to have her mother find her a husband in a merchant family to be the mistress of the house. Although merchants did not have a high social status, they were rich!

She was the daughter of an official, and marrying into a merchant family was considered a marriage below her station. The other family had to treat her well in order to elevate their social standing.

But now...

Liang Zhiyi glanced up at Pei Yue and said in a gentle tone, "Your Highness, my marriage is decided by my elders."

A sudden chill ran through her as Pei Yue's eyes, sending shivers down her spine. She swallowed hard, then used her previous words to shut him up.

"Your Highness, the precepts for women state that a woman should obey her father before marriage and her husband after marriage. I dare not make decisions on my own."

Pei Yue stared at her for a long while, then suddenly smiled, a smile curving his lips, and said leisurely,

"Oh, is that so? Then Zhizhi wants to reject me?"

Is this a question a human being would ask?

Liang Zhiyi cursed him inwardly, forcing a dry laugh: "Hehehe, no..."